Patrick endorses Sullivan for Fall River mayor

FALL RIVER — Entering the fray of Fall River's mayoral race, Gov. Deval Patrick gave an impassioned endorsement to state Rep. David B. Sullivan on Thursday.

BRIAN BOYD

FALL RIVER — Entering the fray of Fall River's mayoral race, Gov. Deval Patrick gave an impassioned endorsement to state Rep. David B. Sullivan on Thursday.

Gov. Patrick lent his support to Rep. Sullivan, a Fall River Democrat, during a campaign event at the Liberal Club. Rep. Sullivan, who is competing with seven other candidates to replace outgoing Mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr., supported Gov. Patrick early in his successful bid for governor.

"In my opinion, there is one candidate who has the vision and the experience and the creativity and the commitment to hard work that will make a difference in Fall River in the future, and that's David Sullivan," Gov. Patrick said to more than 200 cheering Sullivan supporters.

The mayoral field also includes state Rep. Robert Correia, City Council President William F. Whitty, Council Vice President Alfredo P. Alves and City Councilor Bradford L. Kilby. Also running are Manuel O. Alves, Kenneth Medeiros and Eric M. Poulin.

Gov. Patrick said normally he would not take sides in a contested primary, and the mayoral race offers a strong field of candidates. But he said he has seen Rep. Sullivan in action and is impressed by him.

"David took a chance on me very early, and he worked really hard, and I'm grateful for that," Gov. Patrick told reporters. "And I appreciate how consistent his own vision is with mine — of governing and of the challenges and opportunities here in Fall River."

At the same time, Gov. Patrick said during his speech his endorsement is not simply a matter of payback for someone who helped him in his bid for the Democratic nomination.

Rep. Sullivan thanked Gov. Patrick for his endorsement, and he promised to find solutions in addressing education, public safety and other issues.

"We are at a crossroads here in Fall River, like many communities throughout the state," he said. "We have a governor that will assist us and fight for us on Beacon Hill."